Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History

Thu, May 25 2017, 1:58 pm

Coyote America: A Natural and Supernatural History

by Dan Flores
Nonfiction
Basic Books
Hardcover, 288 pages
$27.50

Forget the cartoon “Beep! Beep!” of Wily Coyote! This totemic animal – loved or hated and feared – has been given an honored place in the literary history of species. The name derives from Aztec coyotl of a millennium ago and in this country is typically pronounced KAI-yote in the west (and often by those who tend to despise the critter) or kai-YO-tee mostly in the east (and often among those who favor the critter). The story follows the trail from Native American mythology through unrelenting 19th and 20th century eradication efforts to the growing presence of coyotes in urban America. A beautifully written and complete biography of a species.